The Expression Of TGF-β₁ In The Dermal Tissue With Scleroderma And Clinical Signification Of In-patients With Scleroderma

Objectives: To investigate the role of TGF-β1 in the pathogenesis ofscleroderma and the relationship between this kind of cytokine and clinicalindexes of scleroderma.Materials and Methods: The TGF-β1 expression in lesions of 38 patientswith scleroderma and 10 normal controls were detected usingimmunohistochemistry LsAB (SP) assay.Results:1. The expression and location of TGF-β1.The positive signal of TGF-β1 in epidermis layer and dermis layer of health control skin tissues was very feeble, but that in basal cell layer was strong.Compered to the control groups, the positive signal of TGF-β1 was very strong in all cutaneous tissue specimens of SD. Either in the controls or in scleroderma patients' skin tissues, TGF-β1 replaced by the phosphate buffered solution (PBS) , the signal of TGF-β1 was negative.The positive signal of TGF-β1 in intracytoplasm and cell membrane of epidermic cell, basal cell, fibroblast, vascular endothelial cell, sweat glands epithelial cell,arrectores pilorum cell, nerve fibrocyte and neutrophile granulocyte and so on in all cutaneous tissue specimens, not in matrix and collagen.2. The comparison of TGF-β1 expression between the control group and SD group and among the SD group.2.1 The expression of TGF-β1 were detected in lesions of 38 patients withscleroderma was significantly higher than those in control group (T=86,P=0.000).2.2 The expression of TGF-β1 was not significant (P>0.05) between clinical indexes of scleroderma with or without the other autoimmune diseases, systemic or localized scleroderm, at the early stages or at the middle and later stages of disease, pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, allanto-finger and Raynaud phenomenon respectively.2.3 The expression of TGF-β1 had no correlation to ANA titre or course of scleroderma(rANA=0.03 vs r=0.05 ).Conclusions:1. TGF-β1 had closely correlation to the pathogenesis of scleroderma.2. The expression of TGF-β1 was not correlated to clinical indexes of scleroderma with or without the other autoimmune diseases, systemic or localized scleroderm, at the early stages or at the middle and later stages of disease, pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, allanto-finger and Raynaud phenomenon respectively.